Interview with Karl Hobbs

Here is the audio of the interview we conducted with GW men's basketball coach Karl Hobbs during halftime of yesterday's women's game vs. Rutgers. Hope you enjoy.

Game 62: Women vs. Rutgers

The #20/16 women's team faces second-seeded #7/7 Rutgers (26-6) this afternoon in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament from Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. Sixth-seeded GW (27-6) is coming off of a 55-53 win over third-seeded #10/8 California on Monday night in Palo Alto, CA. Sarah-Jo Lawrence's putback of a Kimberly Beck air-ball as the buzzer sounded lifted the Colonials to the dramatic victory and sent the program to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years for the first time in school history. In that one, three GW players reached double figures in scoring: Antelia Parrish (15 points, 10 rebounds), Lawrence (13 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals), and Jessica Adair (11 points, eight rebounds).

The Scarlet Knights, who were picked to finish second in the Big East, were tabbed at #3 in both preseason polls. Last season, Rutgers went 27-9 and was the national runner-up, falling to Tennessee 59-46 in the NCAA Tournament title game. The Scarlet Knights return all five starters from that team, and have four players averaging double figures in scoring: All-Big East First Team selection 5-9 sophomore guard Epiphanny Prince (14.1 points, 5.3 rebounds per game this season), All-Big East First Team selection 5-8 senior guard Matee Ajavon (12.2 points, 5.2 assists), Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team selection 6-0 senior guard/forward Essence Carson (10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds), and All-Big East Second Team selection 6-4 junior center Kia Vaughn (10.2 points, 8.3 rebounds). Coach C. Vivian Stringer is in her 13th season with the Scarlet Knights, holding a record of 283-131; she is 803-266 in 37 seasons as a head coach.

Rutgers is coming off of a 69-58 win over seventh-seeded Iowa State on Monday in Des Moines, IA. In that one, four Scarlet Knights reached double figures in scoring: Vaughn (23 points, five rebounds), Prince (17 points, six rebounds), Ajavon (16 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals), and Carson (10 points, three steals). Rutgers has been ranked in the top five in both national polls for much of the season, never falling lower than seventh. The Scarlet Knights are 12-5 away from Piscataway, NJ. This is Rutgers' 19th-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights are 6-3 in regional semifinal games.

This is the 35th-ever meeting between these former Atlantic 10 rivals; GW is 8-26. The last meeting came on November 18, 2007, which #6/7 Rutgers won 67-42 at the Smith Center. In that one, Adair (nine points, five rebounds), Beck (nine points), and Lawrence (nine points, four rebounds) paced the #14/12 Colonials. However, GW was held to just 13-59 (22%) shooting from the field. The Scarlet Knights had three players reach double figures in scoring: Ajavon (19 points), Vaughn (13 points, 12 rebounds), and Carson (12 points, seven rebounds). Rutgers has won the last two meetings in the series.

There was something about seeing Rutgers yesterday during the team's media session and open practice. The players seemed a little too loose during their workout, laughing through many of the drills. Stringer didn't know Beck or Lawrence's name. Rutgers is talented enough to not prepare fully for GW and still win, but I smell all the makings of an upset. I have a sneaking suspicion the Colonials are the team that wants it more.

Paul Marmaro and I have the call for WRGW with Alex Tainsh, Ben Toder, and Julian Gompertz handling production duties. You can listen here starting at two p.m. Mike Patrick, Doris Burke, and Rebecca Lobo have the call for ESPN2. You can watch live starting at 2.30 p.m.

Game notes: GW is 18-14 in the NCAA Tournament...The Colonials are 1-2 in the regional semifinals...The win came against North Carolina in 1997...The losses were to Colorado in 1995 and North Carolina last season...GW is 3-1 as a six seed, having beaten Maine before falling to Virginia in 1996...McKeown is 18-16 in 16 NCAA Tournament appearances...McKeown's New Mexico State squads reached the tournament in 1987 and 1988...The current senior class is 6-3 in the NCAA Tournament...GW is 7-3 against teams that qualified for this season's tournament...The wins came against Virginia, Western Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn twice, California, and Xavier...The losses came to Rutgers, Temple, and Xavier...The Colonials have broken the program record for wins in back-to-back seasons...GW is 55-10 over the last two seasons...The Colonials went 54-13 from 1995 to 1997...GW is 5-2 on Sundays, 14-0 when scoring at least 70 points, and 18-0 when holding opponents under 60 points...The Colonials are 13-5 away from the Smith Center and 4-2 on neutral courts...This is Rutgers' fourth-straight Sweet 16 appearance...Carson appeared in her 131st career game against Iowa State, a record for the program...Vaughn needs just 13 points to become the 27th player in Rutgers history with 1,000 career points.

More to follow from Greensboro Coliseum once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 5.59 p.m. - Here were the starting lineups:

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Antelia Parrish (6-0 junior from Washington, DC)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

Rutgers
G - Matee Ajavon (5-8 senior from Newark, NJ)
G - Epiphanny Prince (5-9 sophomore from Brooklyn, NY)
F - Essence Carson (6-0 senior from Paterson, NJ)
F - Heather Zurich (6-1 junior from Montvale, NJ)
C - Kia Vaughn (6-4 junior from Bronx, NY)

GW's season comes to an end following a 53-42 loss to the Scarlet Knights. The Colonials trailed by 12 at the half, but closed within four with just under four minutes to play. However, Carson took over down the stretch, scoring the final nine points for Rutgers, who will face top-seeded Connecticut on Tuesday with a Final Four bid on the line.

Channeling Johnny Most

By request, here is Paul Marmaro and my WRGW call of the closing moments of Monday night's game against California. All I can say in my defense is that I had never lost my voice during a broadcast before. Our own Thomas Wall suggested I bring some Ricola to the next one.

I tried to post it in here with the fancy little tool that we often use, but each time I attempt to, it slows down the audio for some reason. My apologies.

Game 61: Women vs. California

The #20/16 women's team faces third-seeded #10/8 California (27-6) this evening in the second round of the NCAA Tournament from Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, CA. Sixth-seeded GW (26-6) is coming off of a 66-56 win over 11th-seeded Auburn on Saturday. In that one, four Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Jessica Adair (17 points, 13 rebounds), Antelia Parrish (15 points, seven rebounds, three steals), Sarah-Jo Lawrence (11 points, six rebounds, five assists), and Whitney Allen (11 points, eight rebounds). GW is making its sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 15th overall, all of which have come under the direction of head coach Joe McKeown. Last season, the fifth-seeded Colonials knocked off 12th-seeded Boise State and fourth-seeded Texas A&M before falling to top-seeded North Carolina in the regional semifinals.

The Golden Bears, who were picked to finish third out of 10 teams in the Pacific 10 Conference, return four starters from the squad that went 23-9 and lost to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. California has three players averaging double figures in scoring: First Team All-Pac-10 selections 6-1 junior forward/center Ashley Walker (15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds per game this season), who led the conference in rebounding and double-doubles, and 6-3 junior forward/center Devanei Hampton (13.9 points, eight rebounds), who was also named to the conference's All-Defensive Team, and Second Team All-Pac-10 selection 5-8 junior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson (1.5 points, 3.7 rebounds). Coach Joanne Boyle is 68-27 in her third season at California; she is 135-56 in six seasons as a head coach. Boyle was the head coach at Richmond from 2002 to 2005, where she went 0-7 against McKeown's GW squads. Coming into the NCAA Tournament, the Golden Bears ranked 12th in the nation in scoring defense, sixth in defensive field goal percentage, and ninth in rebounding margin.

California is coming off of a 77-60 win over 14th-seeded San Diego on Saturday. In that one, two Golden Bears reached double figures in scoring: Hampton (22 points, four rebounds) and Walker (21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals). California shot 30-62 (48.4%) from the field, forced 24 San Diego turnovers, and won the points in the paint battle 48-20. The win was just the second in the program's NCAA Tournament history, the fitst since 1993. The Golden Bears come into this one 4-3 in their last seven games. California reached the final of the Pacific 10 Conference Tournament before falling to #4/7 Stanford 56-35. The Golden Bears are 14-5 away from their home court and 3-1 on neutral floors.

This is the first-ever meeting between these programs.

This is a tough pick to make. GW struggled the last time it faced a team with a heavy interior presence, losing to Xavier in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. If the Adair sisters get into foul trouble, it could be a rough night for the Colonials. However, it seems as though this team is up to the challenge California presents. The pick here is for GW to reach the Sweet 16 for the second-straight year.

Paul Marmaro and I have the call for WRGW with Greg Shapiro, Julian Gompertz, David Earl, and Ben Toder handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 7.30 p.m. Eastern Time. Dave Pasch, Deb Antonelli, and Heather Cox have the call for ESPN2. You can watch live starting at eight p.m. Eastern Time.

Game notes: GW is 17-14 in the NCAA Tournament...The Colonials are 3-9 in the second round...GW is 2-1 as a six seed, having beaten Maine before falling to Virginia in 1996...McKeown is 17-16 in 16 NCAA Tournament appearances...McKeown's New Mexico State squads reached the tournament in 1987 and 1988...The current senior class is 5-3 in the NCAA Tournament...GW is 6-3 against teams that qualified for this season's tournament...The wins came against Virginia, Western Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn twice, and Xavier...The losses came to Rutgers, Temple, and Xavier...GW is 7-3 against teams from the Pac-10...The Colonials have matched the program record for wins in back-to-back seasons...GW is 54-10 over the last two seasons...The Colonials went 54-13 from 1995 to 1997...GW is 1-0 on Mondays, 14-0 when scoring at least 70 points, and 17-0 when holding opponents under 60 points...The Colonials are 12-5 away from the Smith Center and 3-2 on neutral courts...California's 27 wins are the most in program history...The previous record was set by the 1983-1984 squad, which went 24-8...The Golden Bears are 2-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament...Walker is averaging 20.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in three career NCAA Tournament games...The Golden Bears are 7-5 against teams that qualified for this season's tournament.

More to follow from Maples Pavilion once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 7.27 p.m. - Here were the starting lineups:

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Antelia Parrish (6-0 junior from Washington, DC)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

California
G - Natasha Vital (5-8 sophomore from Stockton, CA)
G - Alexis Gray-Lawson (5-8 junior from Oakland, CA)
G - Lauren Greif (5-10 sophomore from Portland, OR)
F - Ashley Walker (6-1 junior from Fairfield, CA)
C - Devanei Hampton (6-3 junior from Oakland, CA)

Lawrence is the hero as her buzzer-beating jumper off an offensive rebound sends the Colonials dancing onto Greensboro, NC, where they will face either second-seeded Rutgers or seventh-seeded Iowa State on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights pounded the Colonials 67-42 when the two teams met at the Smith Center on November 18. That was the beginning of a stretch that saw McKeown's squad lose three of its next five games.

GW heads to the Sweet 16 for the second-straight year, marking the first time in program history that the Colonials have reached the regional semifinals in back-to-back years. Unfortunately, I have a flight to catch, so we'll be back in the morning with much more. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Game 60: Women vs. Auburn

The #20/16 women's team faces 11th-seeded Auburn (20-11) this morning in the first round of the NCAA Tournament from Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, CA. Sixth-seeded GW (25-6) is making its sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 15th overall, all of which have come under the direction of head coach Joe McKeown. Last season, the fifth-seeded Colonials knocked off 12th-seeded Boise State and fourth-seeded Texas A&M before falling to top-seeded North Carolina in the regional semifinals.

The Tigers, who were picked to finish fifth out of 12 teams in the Southeastern Conference, return five starters from the squad that went 21-13 and lost to Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the WNIT. Auburn has three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by First Team All-SEC selection 6-4 junior forward DeWanna Bonner (18.5 points, 10.2 rebounds per game this season). Bonner is joined by 5-11 junior guard Sherell Hobbs (13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds), and 5-8 freshman guard Alli Smalley (10.7 points), who was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team. Coach Nell Fortner is 71-52 in her fourth year at Auburn; she is 88-63 in five years as a head coach. This is the Tigers' 17th-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and their first since 2004. Auburn suffered back-to-back title game losses in 1988 and 1989.

Auburn spent 10 weeks ranked in the national polls, but dropped out for good in mid-January after a stretch during which the team lost five of six games, including a 68-66 home loss to GW on January 3. The Tigers come into today's game having lost four of their last six games, most recently a 49-44 loss to Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. In that one, Bonner was the only Auburn player to reach double figures in scoring with 23 points and 13 rebounds. The Tigers were held to just 14-49 (28.6%) shooting from the field and missed all 13 three-point attempts.

This is the third-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 2-0. The last meeting came on January 3 in Auburn, AL, which the Colonials won 68-66 on a Lisa Steele three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining. In that one, three GW players reached double figures in scoring: Sarah-Jo Lawrence (18 points, four assists), Kimberly Beck (16 points, four rebounds, seven assists, three steals), and Jessica Adair (16 points, five rebounds, two blocks). Auburn also had three players reach double figures in scoring: Smalley (17 points, nine rebounds, five assists), Bonner (14 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks), and Hobbs (12 points). GW shot 26-53 (49.1%) from the field, including 7-15 (46.7%) from three-point land. However, the Tigers outrebounded the Colonials 41-31. The other meeting came at the Smith Center on December 16, 2006, which GW won 62-51.

The pick here was for the Colonials to make a run through the A-10 Tournament because of how much it meant to the senior class. That didn't happen. However, the NCAA Tournament is a different beast. Since arriving in California on Wednesday, the team has been focused. The pick here is for GW to advance to the round of 32.

Paul Marmaro and I have the call for WRGW with Chase Carpenter handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. Dave Pasch, Deb Antonelli, and Heather Cox have the call for ESPN2. You can watch live starting at two p.m. Eastern Time.

Game notes: GW is 16-14 in the NCAA Tournament...The Colonials are 12-2 in the first round...GW is 1-1 as a six seed, having beaten Maine before falling to Virginia in 1996...McKeown is 16-16 in 16 NCAA Tournament appearances...McKeown's New Mexico State squads reached the tournament in 1987 and 1988...The current senior class is 4-3 in the NCAA Tournament...GW is 5-3 against teams that qualified for this season's tournament...The wins came against Virginia, Western Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Xavier...The losses came to Rutgers, Temple, and Xavier...GW has won four-straight against the SEC...The Colonials are 10-16 all-time against the SEC...GW is 16-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, 14-0 when scoring at least 70 points, and 7-2 on Saturdays...Three Colonials are averaging double figures in scoring over their NCAA Tournament careers: Lawrence (12.7 points in seven games), Adair (11.8 points in five games), and Beck (11.4 points in seven games)...GW is 2-2 on neutral courts and 11-5 away from the Smith Center...Auburn is 15-1 all-time in the first round and 3-7 against teams who qualified for this year's NCAA Tournament...5-9 junior guard Whitney Boddie (10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds per game this season) is academically ineligible for the Tigers this semester.

More to follow from Maples Pavilion once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 2.20 p.m. - Here were the starting lineups:

Auburn
G - Alli Smalley (5-8 freshman from Arab, FL)
G - Tamela McCorvey (5-9 senior from Pensacola, FL)
G - Sherell Hobbs (5-11 junior from Huntsville, AL)
F - Jordan Greenleaf (6-1 sophomore from Morrow, GA)
F - DeWanna Bonner (6-4 junior from Fairfield, AL)

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Antelia Parrish (6-0 junior from Washington, DC)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

Four Colonials reached double figures in scoring in the 66-56 win: Adair (17 points, 13 rebounds), Parrish (15 points, seven rebounds, three steals), Allen (11 points, eight rebounds), and Lawrence (11 points, six rebounds, five assists).

Some other notes from the game:
-Beck's seven assists move her into a tie for the single-season GW record with 197. During the game, Beck also moved into second place in steals in program history with 293.
-GW is now 13-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
-Adair recorded her 12th career double-double, but just her second of the season. The other came against against South Dakota State on November 23.

The team will face either California or San Diego in the second round on Monday evening. That's all for now. Please continue to check the above posts for more updates. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Going to California

The women's team departs for California tomorrow afternoon. Just a reminder that we will be doing extensive blogging with the squad from the Pacific coast. Please check back frequently after we touch down in San Jose.

(Just like) Starting over

The women's team will face Auburn for the second time this season in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The sixth-seeded Colonials will tip-off with the 11th-seeded Tigers on Saturday in Palo Alto, California at two p.m. Eastern Time. You can view the rest of the bracket here.

#20/19 GW won 68-66 at #18/18 Auburn on January 3. In that one, Lisa Steele hit a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Colonials a tough road victory. You can find more information from that game here.

Very odd that the committee would go with a regular season rematch in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. During our Selection Monday special (the full audio is below), GW coach Joe McKeown said he couldn't remember such an instance in all his years of coaching.

On paper, it's a favorable road for the Colonials. They get Auburn, a team they beat earlier in the season that has lost four of its last six games, on a neutral floor in the first round. If the seeds hold, California would be the next opponent. If it comes to that, the Golden Bears should bring a sizable crowd, as the campus is fewer than 40 miles from Stanford. However, facing California would not be as bad for the Colonials as traveling to Norfolk, VA to visit Old Dominion would have been. In addition, out of all of the three seeds, I would much rather face the Golden Bears than the likes of Baylor, Duke, or Oklahoma State.

The team will be leaving for California on either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. We'll be updating frequently from the west coast, so please check back often.

Anyhow, here is the full audio from our Selection Monday special. Thanks to Jesse Hooker, the Sports Information Director for the women's team, for helping us put everything together. We also have to thank our guests Jack Kvancz, Mike Bozeman, Whitney Allen, and McKeown. Enjoy!

What's up, Pops?

As I mentioned earlier, former men's standout Pops Mensah-Bonsu was on campus for much of last week. I've been getting a lot of questions about the former GW star, so here is the audio from the interview we did on March 10 during the Massachusetts game. Pops was supposed to sit down with us at halftime, but he went into the locker room and got sidetracked, so we spoke during the first media timeout of the second half (hence why he is interrupted by play-by-play on a couple of occasions). Hope you enjoy.

Selection Monday special on WRGW

Tune into WRGW's Selection Monday show live tonight from the women's team's reception in the Smith Center. We will have numerous players and coaches on the air both before and after the bracket is unveiled, so it should be an interesting experience. Coverage will start at 6.30 p.m. You can listen here.

WRGW will also be doing extensive live-blogging on the road with the women's team throughout the NCAA Tournament. Stay tuned.

Update, 11.56 a.m. - Charlie Creme of ESPN has released his final Bracketology projection. It's a tough road for GW, as the sixth-seeded Colonials would face Michigan State in the first round. If the seeds held, GW would then face third-seeded Old Dominion on its home court in Norfolk, VA. The Colonials are placed in the Oklahoma City region with top-seeded Tennessee and second-seeded Rutgers.

Holding it down at six

The women's team remains a six seed in Charlie Creme's latest edition of ESPN's Bracketology. Still a pretty good path on paper for GW with Liberty as the first round opponent, and a likely matchup with a struggling Baylor squad in the second round.

More to follow shortly on WRGW's expanded coverage of Selection Monday.

Game 59: Women vs. Xavier

The #13/12 women's team faces third-seeded Xavier (22-8, 12-3) in the semifinals of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Tournament this evening at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Philadelphia, PA. Second-seeded GW (25-5, 13-2) is coming off of a 70-43 win over 10th-seeded Rhode Island yesterday evening. In that one, four Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Jessica Adair (12 points), Kimberly Beck (11 points, six assists, five steals), Sarah-Jo Lawrence (10 points, four rebounds), and Whitney Allen (10 points, six rebounds).

The Musketeers, who were picked to finish tied for second out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, return one starter from the squad that went 26-8 and lost to West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That one starter is 6-5 sophomore forward Amber Harris (15.5 points, nine rebounds per game this season), a preseason Wooden Award nominee and First Team All-A-10 selection . Xavier has two other players averaging double figures in scoring: 6-6 freshman center Ta'Shia Phillips (14.1 points, 11.1 rebounds) and 5-7 junior guard Jerri Taylor (10.8 points). Coach Kevin McGuff is 128-58 in six seasons with the Musketeers.

Xavier is coming off of a 74-52 over sixth-seeded St. Joseph's last night. In that one, four Musketeers reached double figures in scoring: Harris (13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three blocks), Phillips (12 points, five rebounds), Taylor (11 points, five assists), and 5-6 freshman guard Special Jennings (10 points, three assists). Xavier outscored St. Joseph's 34-22 in the first half and limited the Hawks to just 6-29 (20.7%) shooting from the field during that time. The Musketeers have won two-straight and five of their last six games.

This is the 29th-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 17-11. The last contest came at the Smith Center on January 13, 2008, which the #17/17 Colonials won 56-46. In that one, two GW players reached double figures in scoring: Adair (15 points, six rebounds, four steals) and Beck (12 points, five rebounds). For Xavier, Harris was the only player to reach double figures in scoring with 18 points and eight rebounds. GW has won four of the last five contests against Xavier, including two-straight, marking the first time either program has won back-to-back games in the series since the 1997-1998 season. Three of the last 15 meetings have gone to overtime.

This should be a good one. The Colonials are a team on a mission. The pick here is for another trip to the A-10 title game for coach Joe McKeown and company.

Adam Rosenbloom and David Earl have the call for WRGW with Alex Tainsh and Ben Toder handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 2.10 p.m.

Game notes: GW has won four A-10 Tournament titles...The last was in 2003...The current senior class is 6-3 in the A-10 Tournament, having lost in the finals twice (in 2005 and 2006 to Temple) and the semifinals once (in 2007 to St. Joseph's)...This is the 26th-ever appearance in the A-10 Tournament for the Colonials...They are one of only four programs to appear in each event...The other three are Massachusetts, St. Joseph's, and Temple...GW is 32-21 all-time in the A-10 Tournament...The Colonials are 2-1 in the first round, 16-9 in the quarterfinals, 10-5 in the semifinals, and 4-6 in the finals...GW has reached the semifinals in 16 of the last 17 years...The Colonials are 7-4 in the A-10 Tournament as the #2 seed...GW has matched the program record for most victories over a two-year stretch...The Colonials went 54-13 from 1995 to 1997...GW is currently 54-9 over the last two seasons...Adair needs five points to become the 25th player in program history with 1,000 career points...Beck and Sarah-Jo Lawrence both reached that plateau earlier this season...Lawrence needs two points to pass Anna Montanana for 13th place in program history...Beck needs four steals to pass Debbie Hemery for second place in program history...The Colonials are 5-1 on Sundays, 16-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, and 14-0 when scoring at least 70 points...GW is 20-4 coming off of a win.

I will be live-blogging all afternoon, so please check back later.

Update, 2.34 p.m. - Here are your starting lineups:

Xavier
G - Special Jennings (5-6 freshman from Cleveland, OH)
G - Jerri Taylor (5-7 junior from South Bend, IN)
F - Maureen Hester (6-1 sophomore from Bethel Park, PA)
F - Amber Harris (6-5 sophomore from Indianapolis, IN)
C - Ta'Shia Phillips (6-6 freshman from Indianapolis, IN)

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Antelia Parrish (6-0 junior from Washington, DC)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

The Temple coaching staff is seated behind me. The Owls face the winner of this semifinal in tomorrow's championship game.

Update, 2.42 p.m. - Talked to McKeown before the game. He said Lawrence should not be bothered by the shoulder injury she suffered yesterday against Rhode Island. 10-7 GW at the first media timeout with eight points coming from Parrish. The junior has really found her shot over the last month.

Update, 2.46 p.m. - The coaching staff has gotten on Parrish's case a few times this season for not boxing out. We've already seen a couple examples of that already, leading to an offensive rebound for the Musketeers and then a GW turnover. Early on, it seems as though Jennings doesn't want to shoot the ball, as she's passed up a couple of open looks.

Update, 2.48 p.m. - Allen is feeling it this afternoon. After pulling down a one-armed rebound with a Xavier player all over her, the senior then hit a three-pointer off the inbounds pass. Allen smiled and nodded the whole way back down the court.

Update, 3.04 p.m. - 24-21 GW lead with six minutes to play in the first half. It's been a contrast of styles, as the Colonials have been hot from beyond the arc, and Xavier is getting it done on the inside with Harris and Phillips.

Update, 3.08 p.m. - The Colonials are doing a great job of communicating on defense. It's amazing how well the Temple coaching staff knows this GW team; they are charting what plays the Colonials call on both ends of the floor and discussing what will happen before a single Colonial moves.

Update, 3.19 p.m. - The Colonials lead 30-24 at intermission. Solid contributions off the bench by Lisa Steele on both ends of the court. GW is really frustrating Xavier on the offensive end, as the Musketeers shot just 9-22 (40.9%) from the field in the first half and turned the ball over 11 times.

Update, 3.35 p.m. - Jennings is really hesitant to shoot the ball. She passed up a wide-open look from the top of the key, got the ball back, and then paused a second before launching a shot off the back of the rim. Third foul for Adair just 110 seconds into the second half. Four seconds later, Adair picks up her fourth. In comes Jazmine. In our conversation before the game, McKeown spoke about how well Jazmine played in the meeting between these teams earlier this season. She's going to have to have to play well against Phillips in this half if the Colonials want to advance to the A-10 Tournament title game for the third time in the last four years.

Update, 3.39 p.m. - Jazmine picks up her fourth personal on a mysterious offensive foul call. Now it's Jamila Bates' turn to battle with Phillips down low. Dangerous territory for the Colonials as they haven't been in this position all season.

Update, 3.42 p.m. - With no inside game to match Phillips and Harris, the Colonials have tried to push the tempo over the past few minutes. Beck has connected with a streaking Lawrence on a pair of nice passes, leading to easy lay-ins. It's 36-28 Colonials with 15.17 to play.

Update, 3.46 p.m. - Five-straight points from the Musketeers have cut the GW lead to three. On the last possession, Phillips went right around Bates in the paint for an easy bucket. With 13.23 still to play, you have to wonder how much longer McKeown can go without bringing one of the Adairs back in.

Update, 3.51 p.m. - Harris and Phillips have single-handedly given Xavier a three-point lead. Jazmine is back in the game as Bates was unable to anchor the post for the Colonials. The Musketeers have the momentum.

Update, 3.54 p.m. - The Colonials have gone cold from the field with only two points in the last four minutes. Phillips connects on a pair of free throws and the Musketeers lead is up to five points with 10.10 to play. Someone needs to step up for the GW.

Update, 3.58 p.m. - Nothing is coming easy for GW on the offensive end as the Musketeers are playing tenacious perimeter defense. In other news, this has been possibly the worst officiated game I've seen all season. Before Harris fouled Jessica Adair on a shot attempt (even though it looked like a clean block), the sophomore had just one personal foul.

Update, 4.02 p.m. - Jess hits a pair of free throws and is now going back to the line to shoot two more. This Colonials team is much different when she's in the game, as the Musketeers have to respect her presence in the paint.

Update, 4.04 p.m. - Big three by Steele cuts the deficit to one and forces McGuff to burn a timeout. Steele gave a fist pump as she connected on a deep trey from the far wing. The Colonials have switched to a three-quarter court pressure defense, which has helped keep Harris and Phillips out of the paint.

Update, 4.07 p.m. - After hitting the front end of a one-and-one, Jess started running back down the court. Beck stopped her with a smile and told her she had another attempt. You've got to love the on-court demeanor of the senior. Adair connects on the second, and the Colonials lead by one with five minutes to play.

Update, 4.09 p.m. - Smart play by Allen to call a timeout before falling out of bounds. When we resume play, it'll be GW ball with a one-point lead and 3.56 to play. Important to note that both squads have seven team fouls, so we'll be going to free throws the rest of the way.

Update, 4.12 p.m. - Four-straight by Xavier out of the timeout. 2.30 to play, and it's 52-49 Musketeers. Parrish answers with a clutch three-pointer. She had big back-to-back treys the last time GW played on this court a couple weeks ago against St. Joseph's.

Update, 4.15 p.m. - Harris puts back an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. Jess answers with a jumper from the free throw line. Tied game, Xavier ball with 1.15 to play. A pulse-pounding finish here at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

Update, 4.16 p.m. - Terrible blocking foul call on Beck. She had set her feet at least a second before contact was made. The Musketeers are going to the line to try to make it a three-point game with 1.05 to go. Worth noting that coming into this one, the Musketeers were only shooting 61.2% from the free throw line as a team.

Update, 4.18 p.m. - After X converts on the and-one, Parrish answers with a baseline jumper. McKeown calls a timeout, so it's a 57-56 Musketeers lead with .52 to go.

Update, 4.20 p.m. - Jennings' prayer with the shot clock running down was answered. Beck just missed a three-pointer at the other end, so it's Xavier ball with .13 left. If the Musketeers hit their free throws down the stretch, then it'll be Temple-Xavier here tomorrow night for the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Update, 4.23 p.m. - Phillips gets an offensive rebound and is fouled. She hits one of two. Beck counters with a three-pointer. It's a two-point Musketeers lead with 4.7 seconds left. GW needs either a steal on the inbounds or X to miss at least one of two charity shots.

Update, 4.26 p.m. - Xavier wins it 63-59 as Hester connects on both free throws to finish off the second-seeded Colonials. For the second-straight year, GW's A-10 Tournament run comes to an end in the semifinals. A disappointing loss as a seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament is not out of the realm of possibility. If anything, we learned today that there will probably be three A-10 teams in the Big Dance.

As McKeown walks off the court, he tosses his water bottle into the air in frustration. The Colonials didn't catch many breaks today; the six-minute long stretch without either Adair sister really did GW in. It'll be a long ride back to Washington, D.C.

I'll try to see what I can do for postgame. Check back in a little while.

Game 58: Men vs. Massachusetts

The men's team hosts Massachusetts (20-9, 9-6) tonight at the Smith Center on Senior Day. GW (9-16, 5-10) is coming off of a 77-61 loss at Charlotte on Thursday night. In that one, three Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Rob Diggs (16 points, 10 rebounds), Wynton Witherspoon (15 points, five rebounds), and Noel Wilmore (13 points). However, the 49ers closed the game on a 21-6 run to hold on for the win.

The Minutemen, who were picked to finish eighth out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, return two starters from the squad that went 24-9 and lost at West Virginia in the second round of the NIT. Massachusetts has four players averaging double figures in scoring: 6-7 senior forward/guard Gary Forbes (20.3 points, 8.9 rebounds per game this season), 6-2 sophomore guard Ricky Harris (16.8 points), 6-7 senior forward Etienne Brower (14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds), and 6-0 junior guard Chris Lowe (11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists). Coach Travis Ford is 57-33 in his third season with the Minutemen; he is 185-144 in 11 seasons as a head coach. Massachusetts ranks fourth in the nation in both points per game and blocks.

Massachusetts is coming off of a 100-63 home win over LaSalle on Wednesday. In that one, five Minutemen reached double figures in scoring: Forbes (26 points, 11 rebounds), Harris (21 points, seven rebounds), 6-9 senior forward Dante Milligan (18 points, six rebounds, five blocks), Lowe (14 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists, four steals), and Brower (11 points, five rebounds, three blocks). Massachusetts shot 38-73 (52.1%) from the field, including 14-31 (45.2%) from three-point land. The Minutemen outrebounded the Explorers 55-33 and received 44 points from their bench. Massachusetts comes into this one having won five-straight games, but the Minutemen are just 6-6 on the road.

This is the 58th-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 33-24. The last meeting came on January 10, 2007 in Amherst, MA, which the Minutemen won 91-84. In that one, three Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Maureece Rice (30 points, seven rebounds), Carl Elliott (19 points, six rebounds), and Diggs (10 points, eight rebounds). Massachusetts' Stephane Lasme recorded the first-ever triple-double against GW with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Amazingly, the Colonials attempted 77 field goals in that contest. The loss snapped GW's 18-game conference winning streak. The Minutemen have won two of the last three meetings in this series, and three of the last four contests at the Smith Center. GW is 19-5 against Massachusetts all-time at the Smith Center.

GW has nothing but pride to play for, while Massachusetts is very much in the mix for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The pick here is for the Minutemen to come away with a road win.

Greg Shapiro and I have the call for WRGW with Scott Trocchia and Varun Saxena handling production duties. You can listen here at the conclusion of the women's game against Rhode Island. Our own Paul Marmaro will join Byron Kerr for the 3WT broadcast. You can listen here starting at 7.20 p.m.

Game notes: Fordham's win over St. Bonaventure earlier today eliminated GW from qualifying for the 2008 Atlantic 10 Tournament...The Colonials join Duquesne (2006), St. Bonaventure (2006-2008), and LaSalle (2007) as the only programs ever to fail to qualify for the A-10 Tournament...The last time GW did not participate in a postseason tournament was the 1973-1974 season when the squad went 15-11 under coach Carl Slone...The last time the Colonials did not reach 10 wins in a season was the 1988-1989 campaign, when the squad went 1-27 under coach John Kuester...Seniors Keri Gonsalves and Dominic Green will be honored before tonight's game along with student managers Alyssa Greco and Kimberly Nathan...GW is 35-4 in its last 39 home games...The Colonials are 8-3 at home...GW hasn't lost four home games in a season since going 7-4 at the Smith Center during the 2002-2003 campaign...GW is just 4-4 when scoring at least 70 points...The Colonials were 16-1 when scoring at least 70 points last season...Coach Karl Hobbs has used 13 different starting lineups through 25 games...GW used just five different starting lineups in 32 games last season...This season, the backcourt accounts for only 34% of GW's points...Last season, the backcourt accounted for 54% of the Colonials' scoring...GW has six losses by 20 or more points this season...Over the first six years of the Hobbs era, the Colonials only suffered 10 losses by that margin...GW is 4-5 on Saturdays, 1-11 when allowing 70 points or more, and 5-10 coming off of a loss...Harris is the reigning A-10 Co-Player of the Week.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from the Smith Center once we get closer to tip-off. Julian Gompertz will be live-blogging all night, so please check back later.

Update, 7:27 p.m. - Firstly, it is nice to see Travis King taking some warmup shots before the game. Many believe this season was lost when he went down, and to see him looking close to 100% is a wonderful sight among what will be a mostly somber senior night. Also worth mentioning there are a group of fans in the student section wearing bags on their heads, probably fitting seeing as this team will not be traveling to Atlantic City.

For the Senior Day festivities, it was weird not seeing Maureece Rice honored with Dominic Green and Keri Gonsalves, but the fans were chanting his name through the introductions. Wonderful to hear GW call Gonsalves "a dedicated walk-on" when he has not played in a game in two years. They also claimed Karl Hobbs called Dominic Green "the unsung hero" of this GW basketball team. Probably explains why we are 9-16 as Dom, while being entertaining off the court averages a whopping .7 ppg and .8 rpg. Those are truly the stats of an unsung hero. Starting lineups to come shortly.

Update, 7:35 p.m. - Here are your starting lineups:

Massachusetts
G - Chris Lowe (6-0 junior from Mt. Vernon, NY)
G - Ricky Harris (6-2 sophomore from Baltimore, MD)
F - Gary Forbes (6-7 senior from Brooklyn, NY)
F - Etienne Brower (6-7 senior from West Hempstead, NY)
C - Dante Milligan (6-9 senior from New York, NY)

GW
G - Johnny Lee (5-8 sophomore from Nashville, TN)
G - Xavier Alexander (6-6 freshman from Forest Park, OK)
F - Dominic Green (6-6 senior from Oakland, CA)
F - Damian Hollis (6-8 sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
F - Rob Diggs (6-8 junior from Brandywine, MD)

Green gets the start in what is a nothing game for GW other than maybe to put the Rice legacy to rest.

Update, 7:46 p.m. - We have a Pops-Mensah Bonsu sighting. Pops was playing overseas, but he is in attendance and will be on the halftime show for the WRGW broadcast so stay tuned for that. As for the game UMASS is up early 11-4 with a couple of three-pointers by senior captain Gary Forbes.

Update, 8:00 p.m. - Well nice to see GW show up to this one, albeit about eight minutes into the first-half. GW has used a 12-3 run to take a 20-18 lead with a couple big Wilmore three-point shots with an Alexander lay-up sandwiched in between. Sadly our leading scorer Rob Diggs is currently scoreless which brings up the interesting question how much talent is needed to win a basketball game against an NCAA bubble team with 5 straight wins?

Update, 8:44 p.m. - A tightly contested battle here between both the minutemen and colonials, with GW currently holding a 3-pt advantage. No colonial has more than nine points but they have hung together with some gritty efforts from guys like Wilmore, Hollis and Witherspoon.

Update, 9:10 p.m. - Under four minutes to play and this one is going down to the wire. GW leads 61-60 with Damian Hollis leading the team down the stretch with 18 points. The Colonials have had no answer for Ricky Harris who leads all scorers with 20. Similarly to Leemire Goldwire on thursday, GW seemingly has given him the same 3-pt corner shot three or four times this half, which makes you wonder how the Colonials can lead the A-10 in 3-pt FG% defense. Stay with WRGW for what should be an exciting end to a meaningless game.

Update, 9:26 p.m. - 23.5 seconds remaining and UMASS holds a 66-63 lead. The Colonials will look to tie this one, as shoddy refeereing down the stretch might have prevented GW from coming away with their 10th win of the year already. It is going to be one final hurrah.

Update, 10.30 p.m. - A valiant effort by the Colonials, but the Minutemen hold on for a tough 67-63 win. GW got strong performances from Hollis (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Wilmore (10 points, five rebounds), but the season ends tonight here at the Smith Center. At 9-17, it's the first sub-10 win season for the program since the disastrous 1-27 1988-1989 campaign.

Touching moment after the game when Hobbs was asked if he was disappointed Rice couldn't share in the festivities. After pausing a moment and becoming visibly emotional, Hobbs said he was disappointed, but that he wishes the senior the best of luck.

We'll be back later this week with a wrap-up of the men's season. However, GW basketball goes on, as the women face Xavier in the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament tomorrow afternoon. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Game 57: Women vs. Rhode Island

The #13/12 women's team faces 10th-seeded Rhode Island (13-17, 6-9) in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Tournament this evening at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Philadelphia, PA. Second-seeded GW (24-5, 12-2) is coming off of a 66-27 home win over Fordham last Saturday on Senior Day. In that one, three Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Jazmine Adair (15 points, 12 rebounds), Kimberly Beck (13 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals), and Whitney Allen (12 points, 10 rebounds, five steals). GW held the Rams to just 10 points on 4-21 (19%) shooting from the field in the first half.

The Rams, who were picked to finish 12th out of 14 teams in the A-10, return four starters from the squad that went 6-23 and lost in the opening round of the conference tournament. Rhode Island is led by preseason All-A-10 Second Team selection 5-6 senior guard Safi Mojidi (12.5 points per game this season) and 5-10 junior guard Amanda McGrew (9.5 points). Coach Tom Garrick is 46-90 in his fifth season at Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is coming off of a 61-49 win over seventh-seeded St. Bonaventure yesterday afternoon. In that one, three Rams reached double figures in scoring: McGrew (12 points, five steals), 5-8 junior guard Crystal Bellinger (11 points, six rebounds), and 5-10 junior forward/guard Sierra Cooper (11 points, five rebounds). Rhode Island forced 22 Bonnies turnovers as the Rams won an A-10 Tournament game for the first time since 2004. Rhode Island has lost five of its last seven games coming into this one.

This is the 37th-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 32-4. The last meeting came on January 16, 2008 in Kingston, RI, which the Colonials won 48-45. In that one, Beck scored 23 of her career-high 25 points in the second half to help #13/13 GW narrowly avoid the upset. Mojidi led the Rams with 16 points and four steals. The Colonials have won the last 13 meetings in the series, which coach Joe McKeown is 24-2 against Rhode Island and 5-0 against Garrick.

GW has had this tournament on its mind all season. Look for a focused Colonials squad to be too much for the Rams to handle.

Adam Rosenbloom and David Earl have the call for WRGW with Chase Carpenter and Ross Romano handling production duties. You can listen here at approximately six p.m., or a few minutes following the conclusion of the Dayton-Charlotte contest.

Game notes: Tip-off was pushed back two hours because of a leaky roof at the arena...GW has won four A-10 Tournament titles...The last was in 2003...The current senior class is 5-3 in the A-10 Tournament, having lost in the finals twice (in 2005 and 2006 to Temple) and the semifinals once (in 2007 to St. Joseph's)...This is the 26th-ever appearance in the A-10 Tournament for the Colonials...They are one of only four programs to appear in each event...The other three are Massachusetts, St. Joseph's, and Temple...GW is 31-21 all-time in the A-10 Tournament...The Colonials are 2-1 in the first round, 15-9 in the quarterfinals, 10-5 in the semifinals, and 4-6 in the finals...GW has reached the semifinals in 15 of the last 16 years...The Colonials are 6-4 in the A-10 Tournament as the #2 seed...GW needs one win to match the program record for most victories over a two-year stretch...The Colonials went 54-13 from 1995 to 1997...GW is currently 53-9 over the last two seasons...Jessica Adair needs 17 points to become the 25th player in program history with 1,000 career points...Beck and Sarah-Jo Lawrence both reached that plateau earlier this season...Lawrence needs two points to pass Elisa Aguilar for 14th place in program history...Lawrence needs 12 points to pass Anna Montanana for 13th place in program history...Allen needs one block to pass Jennifer Shasky for sole possession of ninth place in program history...Beck and Lawrence are the third-highest scoring duo in program history...The seniors have combined for 2,685 points...Darlene Saar and Debbie Hemery (1995) are first with 3,558 combined points, while Tajama Abraham and Lisa Cermignano (1997) tallied 3,412 combined points...Beck is believed to be the only player in Division I women's basketball history to have at least 1,300 points, 600 assists, 300 rebounds, 200 steals, and 60 blocks in her career...The Colonials have won at least 20 games in each of the last nine seasons and in 17 of the last 18 years...Lawrence has been named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America Third Team...She joins Kenan Cole (first team in 2007) and Jennifer Shasky (second team in 1993) as the only Colonials to ever be named national Academic All-Americans...GW has been ranked for 37-straight weeks in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, a program record...GW has made at least one three-pointer in 84 consecutive games...The Colonials are 6-2 on Saturdays, 13-0 when scoring at least 70 points, and 19-4 when coming off of a win...GW is 1-1 on a neutral court, having split games with UNLV and Samford at the Four Points by Sheraton Invitational in New Orleans, LA on November 30 and December 1.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse once we get closer to tip-off.

Update, 10.44 p.m. - Here were your starting lineups:

Rhode Island
G - Safi Mojidi (5-6 senior from Silver Spring, MD)
G - Crystal Bellinger (5-8 junior from New York, NY)
G - Amanda McGrew (5-10 junior from Santa Monica, CA)
C - Tanja Licina (6-1 junior from Belgrade, Serbia)
C - Whitney Hollis (6-3 senior from Brooklyn, NY)

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Antelia Parrish (6-0 junior from Washington, DC)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

Dominant performance by the Colonials as Adair (12 points), Beck (11 points, six assists, five steals), Lawrence (10 points, four rebounds), and Allen (10 points, six rebounds) all reached double figures in scoring. After trailing 12-11 at the 15.30 mark of the first half, GW never looked back.

The women will face Xavier in the semifinals tomorrow afternoon at 2.30 p.m. We'll be back then. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Let it rain

Day two of the women's Atlantic 10 Tournament has been delayed. WRGW's David Earl has an update:

"We arrived at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse at about 11:50 a.m., and about two minutes from tip-off, leaks on the floor were discovered in at least three distinct places. The rain has been coming down hard and steady for at least 36 hours now, and the officials from the A-10 had been considering alternate locations for the tournament because the rain is predicted to come down hard for at least the next four hours.

They brought in a cherry picker, and suspended a towel from the ceiling with alligator clamps to catch the water. You'll see it in the pictures."

The word now is that the women's game vs. Rhode Island has been pushed back to six p.m. Here are pictures from the scene courtesy of Mr. Earl:

Game 56: Men at Charlotte

The men's team travels to Charlotte, NC to face Charlotte (16-12, 7-7) tonight at Halton Arena. GW (9-15, 5-9) is coming off of a hard-fought 66-56 loss at #9/11 Xavier on Saturday night. The Colonials tied the game with 6.23 left in the second half and trailed by only one with 2.18 to play before fading down the stretch. In that one, two GW players reached double figures in scoring: Rob Diggs (19 points, eight rebounds, three assists) and Johnny Lee (14 points).

The 49ers, who were picked to finish 10th out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, return two starters from the squad that went 14-16 and lost in the opening round of the conference tournament. Charlotte is led by two players averaging double figures in scoring: 5-11 senior guard Leemire Golwire (18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds per game this season) and 6-7 junior forward Lamont Mack (12.6 points, five rebounds). Coach Booby Lutz is 184-124 in his 10th season at Charlotte; he is 365-215 in 19 seasons as a head coach.

Charlotte is coming off of an 89-82 home win over Duquesne on Sunday afternoon. In that one, four 49ers reached double figures in scoring: Goldwire (21 points, four rebounds, five steals), Mack (19 points, four rebounds), 6-7 junior forward Charlie Coley (16 points), and 6-4 sophomore guard Ian Anderson (13 points). Charlotte shot 27-59 (45.8%) from the field and forced 18 Duquesne turnovers. The 49ers come in having lost six of their last nine games following a 13-6 start, which included wins over Davidson and at Clemson. The 49ers are 11-2 at Halton Arena and 12-3 in Charlotte, as the squad has played two games at Bobcats Arena.

This is the 17th-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 9-7. The last meeting came on March 1, 2007 in Charlotte, which the Colonials won 62-60. Carl Elliott hit a turnaround jumper with 18 seconds left to give GW a tough road win. In that one, three Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Maureece Rice (15 points, six rebounds), Elliott (14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists), and Damian Hollis (12 points, four rebounds). Goldwire led the 49ers with 16 points and nine rebounds. GW is 4-0 in the series since Charlotte joined the Atlantic 10 in the 2005-2006 season. GW has won five-straight in the series, including the last three in Charlotte. The 49ers are 5-4 all-time at home against the Colonials.

While GW has won only one game away from the Smith Center all season, the Colonials are back in the driver's seat in the race for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The pick here is for coach Karl Hobbs' squad to find a way to get it done on the road.

Greg Shapiro and Julian Gompertz have the call for WRGW with Ben Toder and Steven Smith handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 7.40 p.m. I will join Byron Kerr for the 3WT broadcast. You can listen here starting at 7.50 p.m. Matt McConnell and Pete Gillen have the call for CN8. You can watch live starting at eight p.m.

Game notes: Rice has been dismissed from the team...The Colonials control their own destiny in qualifying for the A-10 Tournament...GW has lost 12 of its 13 games away from the Smith Center this season...The Colonials are 12-20 in their last 32 games away from the Smith Center...GW is just 4-4 when scoring at least 70 points...The Colonials were 16-1 when scoring at least 70 points last season...Coach Karl Hobbs has used 12 different starting lineups through 24 games...GW used just five different starting lineups in 32 games last season...This season, the backcourt accounts for only 35% of GW's points...Last season, the backcourt accounted for 54% of the Colonials' scoring...GW has six losses by 20 or more points this season...Over the first six years of the Hobbs era, the Colonials only suffered 10 losses by that margin...Hobbs is 5-1 against Charlotte, while Lutz is 4-5 against GW...Hollis is averaging 12.5 points and five rebounds per game in two career meetings with the 49ers...GW is 1-1 on Thursdays, 1-10 when allowing 70 points, and 5-9 coming off of a loss...21 of Charlotte's 28 contests have been decided by seven points or less...Goldwire has five 30-point games this season.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from Halton Arena once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 6.45 p.m. - Over GW's last three games, Rice had combined to score just seven points. In addition, over the Colonials' last seven games, Rice was averaging only 3.7 points per game, and was held scoreless in three of those contests.

Update, 6.52 p.m. - We can now confirm that Rice is not in Charlotte. The team just arrived at the arena, so check back for more soon.

Update, 7.24 p.m. - From the conversations I've had in the last 30 minutes, it is doubtful that we will be hearing anything else from the program on Rice's situation before tip-off. In a pregame interview with Mr. Kerr, Hobbs confirmed that the senior is off the team and said he hopes that Rice finishes his degree. Other than that, everyone around the program is tight-lipped on the situation.

Update, 7.53 p.m. - Here are your starting lineups:

GW
G - Johnny Lee (5-8 sophomore from Nashville, TN)
G - Xavier Alexander (6-6 freshman from Forest Park, OK)
F - Wynton Witherspoon (6-7 junior from Duluth, GA)
F - Damian Hollis (6-8 sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
F - Rob Diggs (6-8 junior from Brandywine, MD)

Charlotte
G - DiJuan Harris (5-9 sophomore from Charlotte, NC)
G - Leemire Goldwire (5-11 senior from Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
F - An'Juan Wilderness (6-6 freshman from Dunwoody, GA)
F - Charlie Coley (6-7 junior from Lake Worth, FL)
F - Lamont Mack (6-7 junior from Chicago, IL)

13th different starting lineup in 25 games for the Colonials.

Update, 10.08 p.m. - The Colonials fall 77-61. After cutting the deficit to one with 4.55 left, Charlotte closed the contest on a 21-6 run to hold on. GW needs to win on Saturday and have St. Bonaventure beat Fordham to have any chance of making it to Atlantic City. The Bonnies and Rams tip at 2 p.m., so we'll know by the time the game gets underway at the Smith Center whether or not the Colonials are still alive.

That's all for tonight. We'll be back on Saturday when both squads are in action. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Joe McKeown on WRGW today

GW women's basketball coach Joe McKeown will be appearing live on Box Out! at 5.30 p.m. today. You can listen here. If you send questions for McKeown to sports@gwradio.com, we will try to get to as many as we can.

Update, 6.54 p.m. - Here is the audio from the McKeown interview:



You can also access it here. The file is approximately 30 minutes long, so it might take a little while to load. As always, it was a pleasure to speak with McKeown. Special thanks to him for stopping by during this busy time of the season.

Game 55: Men at Xavier

The men's team travels to Cincinnati, OH to face #9/11 Xavier (24-4, 12-1) tonight at the Cintas Center. GW (9-14, 5-8) is coming off of an 85-68 home win over Rhode Island on Wednesday night. In that one, two Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Noel Wilmore (24 points) and Damian Hollis (22 points, eight rebounds, four assists). GW has won three-straight and four of its last five games coming into this one.

The Musketeers, who were picked to finish first out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, return three starters from the squad that went 25-9 and lost to Ohio State in overtime of the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Xavier has a mind-boggling six players essentially averaging double figures in scoring: 6-9 senior forward Josh Duncan (11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds per game this season), preseason All-A-10 First Team selection 5-7 senior guard Drew Lavender (11.2 points, 4.4 assists, 6-8 sophomore forward Derrick Brown (10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds), 6-6 junior guard/forward B.J. Raymond (10.8 points), , 6-6 junior guard/forward C.J. Anderson (10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds), and preseason All-A-10 Second Team selection 6-3 senior guard Stanley Burrell (9.9 points, 3.8 assists). Coach Sean Miller is 87-36 in four seasons at Xavier.

Xavier is coming off of a 57-51 win at Dayton on Sunday night. In that one, Duncan (14 points, four rebounds) was the only Musketeer to reach double figures in scoring. However, the visitors limited the Flyers to just 20-53 (37.7%) shooting from the field, including 3-11 (27.3%) from three-point land. Xavier has won 10-straight and 16 of its last 17 games coming into this one. The Musketeers have clinched the A-10 regular season title and are currently ranked sixth in the RPI. Xavier's biggest win of the season was an 80-65 triumph over #8 Indiana in the Chicago Invitational Challenge on November 24. The Musketeers are 14-1 at the Cintas Center this season; the only loss was to #12 Tennessee on December 22.

This is the 31st-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 9-21. The last meeting came on January 19, 2008 at the Smith Center, which the Musketeers won 74-66. GW cut the deficit to one on a Maureece Rice three-pointer with 1.47 to play, but #20/20 Xavier scored the final seven points of the game to avoid the upset. In that one, four Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Rice (22 points, five rebounds, four assists), Wynton Witherspoon (15 points, three assists), Hollis (12 points, 12 rebounds), and Rob Diggs (10 points, four rebounds). The Musketeers also had four players reach double figures in scoring: Lavender (14 points, seven assists), Duncan (14 points), Anderson (13 points, eight rebounds), and Raymond (12 points). Xavier has won the past two meetings and six of the last seven games in the series. GW is 3-9 all-time at Xavier, having won the last meeting in Cincinnati on February 6, 2006 by a score of 89-85.

Though coach Karl Hobbs' squad has been playing well lately, the pick here is for the Musketeers to prevail at home.

Greg Shapiro and I have the call for WRGW with Julian Gompertz and Alex Tainsh handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 6.40 p.m. Our own Paul Marmaro will join Byron Kerr for the WFED broadcast. You can listen here starting at 6.50 p.m. Tom Hart and Steve Wolf have the call for CN8. You can watch live starting at seven p.m.

Game notes: The Colonials control their own destiny in qualifying for the A-10 Tournament...GW is 3-13 in regular season games against ranked teams under Hobbs...All of those wins have come at the Verizon Center in the BB&T Classic...GW has lost 11 of its 12 games away from the Smith Center this season...The Colonials are 12-19 in their last 31 games away from the Smith Center...GW is just 4-4 when scoring at least 70 points...The Colonials were 16-1 when scoring at least 70 points last season...Coach Karl Hobbs has used 12 different starting lineups through 23 games...GW used just five different starting lineups in 32 games last season...This season, the backcourt accounts for only 35% of GW's points...Last season, the backcourt accounted for 54% of the Colonials' scoring...GW has six losses by 20 or more points this season...Over the first six years of the Hobbs era, the Colonials only suffered 10 losses by that margin...Xavier is 9-0 since these teams' first meeting this season, while GW is 4-6...Hobbs is 2-11 against Xavier and 1-4 against Miller...Miller is 4-1 against Hobbs' Colonials...The Colonials are 3-5 coming off of a win...Rice needs 19 points to pass Tom Glenn for 27th place in program history...Rice is averaging 13.6 points per game in five career meetings with Xavier...Diggs needs six blocks for 100 for his career...GW is 4-4 on Saturdays, 1-10 when allowing 70 points or more, and 3-0 with the starting lineup of Diggs, Hollis, Xavier Alexander, Rice, and Johnny Lee...All of those wins have come in the team's last three games against St. Bonaventure, Richmond, and Rhode Island...GW is 5-1 when Lee is in the starting lineup...Rice is averaging 11 points per game in 11 games away from the Smith Center...Rice is averaging 8.2 points per game in 10 home contests...Hollis is averaging 18.3 points per game over the three-game winning streak...Over the last seven games, Wilmore is 20-39 (51.3%) from three-point land...The current 10-game winning streak is the longest for Xavier under Miller...The Musketeers have had nine 20-win seasons over the last 10 years...They trail only Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Gonzaga, and Syracuse...Each of those schools has had 20 wins in each of the past 10 years.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from the Cintas Center once we get closer to tip-off. Please check back later.

Update, 11.29 p.m. - Here were the starting lineups:

GW
G - Johnny Lee (5-8 sophomore from Nashville, TN)
G - Maureece Rice (6-1 senior from Philadelphia, PA)
F - Xavier Alexander (6-6 freshman from Forest Park, OK)
F - Damian Hollis (6-8 sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
F - Rob Diggs (6-8 junior from Brandywine, MD)

Xavier
G - Drew Lavender (5-7 senior from Columbus, OH)
G - Stanley Burrell (6-3 senior from Indianapolis, IN)
F - C.J. Anderson (6-6 junior from Cincinnati, OH)
F - Derrick Brown (6-8 sophomore from Dayton, OH)
C - Jason Love (6-9 sophomore from Philadelphia, PA)

A valiant effort by the Colonials as they were led by Diggs (19 points, eight rebounds) and Lee (a career-high 14 points). The Colonials tied it at 49-49 with 6.21 to go, but shot just 2-10 from the field the rest of the way in the 66-56 loss. Lee tallied 36 minutes of playing time, while Rice was held scoreless in just 14 minutes.

With Dayton's win over Fordham tonight, GW now needs some help in order to reach the A-10 Tournament. Thursday's game at Charlotte is now a must-win. We'll be back then. As always, thanks for stopping by.

Game 54: Women vs. Fordham

The #15/15 women's team hosts Fordham (0-28, 0-13) this afternoon at the Smith Center on Senior Day. GW (23-5, 11-2) is coming off of a 75-59 win at Richmond on Wednesday night. In that one, three Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Sarah-Jo Lawrence (19 points, three assists, three steals), Jessica Adair (17 points, five rebounds), and Whitney Allen (11 points, 10 rebounds, three steals). GW shot 31-55 (56.4%) from the field, including 6-14 (42.9%) from three-point land.

The Rams, who were picked to finish last out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, return two starters from the squad that went 3-25 and failed to qualify for the conference tournament. Fordham has two players averaging double figures in scoring: 5-7 freshman guard Megan Mahoney (15.5 points, 3.8 rebounds per game this season) and 5-9 junior guard Annie Zopf (10.9 points, 2.9 assists). Coach Cathy Andruzzi is 3-53 in her second year with the Rams; she is 127-147 in 10 seasons as a head coach.

Fordham is coming off of a 79-55 home loss to Charlotte on Wednesday night. In that one, three Rams reached double figures in scoring: Zopf (18 points, five rebounds), Mahoney (14 points), and 5-11 senior forward Beth Troutt (14 points). However, the 49ers led by 20 at intermission and held the home team to just 16-56 (28.6%) shooting from the field. Fordham comes into this one having lost 33-straight games dating back to last season. In 13 conference losses, the Rams have stayed within single digits of their opponents in only four of those contests. Fordham's average margin of defeat is 15.6 points per game.

This is the 14th-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 13-0. The last meeting came on January 12, 2007 in the Bronx, NY, which the Colonials won 77-51. In that one, three GW players reached double figures in scoring: Adair (19 points, seven rebounds), Kenan Cole (12 points), and Lawrence (11 points, six assists). The #12/14 Colonials led 46-10 at intermission and held Fordham to just 3-21 (14.3%) shooting from the field in the first half. GW is 7-0 all-time against Fordham at the Smith Center with an average margin of victory of 26.3 points per game.

Expect an inspired effort by GW in the final home game for seniors Kimberly Beck, Lawrence, Allen, and Lora Mitchell. The pick here is for the Colonials to at least clinch a share of the A-10 title with a win.

Steven Smith and Alex Tainsh have the call for WRGW with Max Feinblatt handling production duties. You can listen here starting at 1.40 p.m.

Game notes: GW must win today and hope Massachusetts upsets Temple in order to gain the top seed in the A-10 Tournament...A Colonials loss or Owls win will give GW the #2 seed...The Colonials have won at least a share of the A-10 title 12 times, a conference record...Beck is believed to be the only player in Division I women's basketball history to have at least 1,300 points, 600 assists, 300 rebounds, 200 steals, and 60 blocks in her career...Beck is the only A-10 player ever to do so...Beck currently leads the conference in assists...She is looking to become the 11th player in Division I women's basketball history to lead her conference in assists for four-straight seasons...GW has won 12-straight at home and is 13-1 at the Smith Center...The 12-game home winning streak is tied for the ninth-longest in the nation...The Colonials have won 14-straight home conference games dating back to a 67-63 loss to Richmond on February 19, 2006...The current senior class is 28-1 at the Smith Center in regular season conference games...The current senior class is 53-5 at the Smith Center...The senior class is 97-27 in four seasons...GW has won 25 of its last 28 regular season A-10 games...The Colonials have won at least 20 games in each of the last nine seasons and in 17 of the last 18 years...Lawrence has been named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America Third Team...She joins Kenan Cole (first team in 2007) and Jennifer Shasky (second team in 1993) as the only Colonials to ever be named national Academic All-Americans...GW has been ranked for 35-straight weeks in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, a program record...GW has made at least one three-pointer in 83 consecutive games...The Colonials are averaging 1,851 fans per game at the Smith Center this season...The previous record was an average of 1,637 during the 1995-1996 season...The total attendance at GW home games this season is 25,919...That is a program record...Adair needs 25 points to become the 25th player in program history with 1,000 career points...The Colonials are 5-2 on Saturdays, 14-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, and 13-0 when scoring at least 70 points.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from Smith Center once we get closer to tip-off.

Update, 1:57 p.m. - The 4 seniors and the three-year student manager are being honored here for their great work for the GW women's program. It has been a superb four years of basketball but the Colonials with six recruits and talented transfer Yolanda Lavender should have the pieces in place to continue its success under head coach Joe Mckeown. As for this season, the Colonials will look for a strong run in the A-10 tournament to get seeded for the NCAA tournament where they will look to accompish their pre-season goal of making it to the final four. Here are the starting lineups for both squads:

Fordham
G - Megan Mahoney (5-7 freshman from Staten Island, NY)
G - Kristina Bell (5-9 freshman from West Bloomfield, MI)
G - Annie Zopf (5-9 junior from Wexford, PA)
F - Takita Earl (6-1 junior from Elkhart, IN)
C - Kassie Humphries (6-2 junior from Frankton, IN)

GW
G - Kimberly Beck (5-8 senior from Fairburn, GA)
G - Sarah-Jo Lawrence (5-11 senior from Rhoadesville, VA)
F - Whitney Allen (5-11 senior from Woodbridge, VA)
F - Lora Mitchell (6-1 senior from Orem, UT)
C - Jessica Adair (6-4 junior from Washington, DC)

Great to see Lora Mitchell get the start on senior day as she has just scored the first point of the game.

Update, 2:31 p.m. - An 18-0 Colonials run has opened up a 21-5 lead midway through the first, a sluggish start for the Colonials but they have picked up the intensity on both ends of the court. Lora Mitchell is getting some extended time and she earned it scoring the game's first three points. GW will look to put this one away by the half.

Update, 3:03 p.m. - A 31-10 halftime lead for GW who has this game very much in hand. No one in double figures for the Colonials but Jessica Adair had eight points and eight boards controlling the pain. Whitney Allen had six points and seven rebounds as GW held a team to the fewest points allowed in a half this season. Expect to see a lot of reserves and Lora Mitchell in half number two and look for more offense as the Colonials shot just 35% themselves.

Update, 3:46 p.m. - That is a wrap, GW wins 66-27 in a rout that was more about the four graduating players. Stealing the spotlight was Junior Jazmine Adair who scored a career-high 15 points to lead GW. It was a memorable afternoon as Beck, Lawrence and Allen will be remembered for thier superb play throughout their four years at Foggy Bottom. Keep it here as we will be back for coverage from the Cintas Center tonight. So long everyone and thanks for a great women's regular season.

Game 53: Men vs. Rhode Island

The men's team hosts Rhode Island (20-8, 6-7) tonight at the Smith Center. GW (8-14, 4-8) is coming off of a 59-53 home win over Richmond on Saturday afternoon. In that one, two Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Rob Diggs (20 points, eight rebounds, three steals) and Damian Hollis (16 points, six rebounds). GW trailed by seven at intermission, but Karl Hobbs' squad embarked on a 16-0 run midway through the second half and never looked back. Hollis went a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line, while Cheyenne Moore connected on five freebies at the charity stripe over the final 67 seconds to preserve the win. The Colonials shot 27-31 (87.1%) from the free throw stripe.

The Rams, who were picked to finish second out of 14 teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, return four starters from the squad that went 19-14 and lost to GW in the title game of the 2007 Atlantic 10 Tournament. Rhode Island is led by preseason First Team All-A-10 selection 6-8 senior forward Will Daniels (19 points, 6.7 rebounds per game this season), 6-3 junior guard Jimmy Baron (14.3 points, 41.9% shooter from three-point land), the son of head coach Jim Baron, and 6-2 senior guard Parfait Bitee (11.9 points, five assists). The elder Baron is 107-103 in his seventh season at Rhode Island; he is 317-305 in 21 seasons as a head coach.

Rhode Island is coming off of a 90-83 home loss to St. Joseph's on Sunday afternoon. In that one, three Rams reached double figures in scoring: Daniels (24 points, four rebounds), Bitee (19 points), and 6-7 sophomore forward Delroy James (13 points, five rebounds, three steals). However, the Hawks built an 11-point halftime lead and limited the home team to just 7-23 (30.4%) shooting from three-point land. The Rams have lost four-straight games and five out of their last six coming into this one. Before starting A-10 play at 1-2, Rhode Island was ranked in both polls for four-straight weeks, reaching as high as #20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll on January 7. The Rams' biggest win of the season was a 91-89 triumph at Syracuse on December 8. Rhode Island is 4-5 on the road.

This is the 48th-ever meeting between these programs; GW is 25-22. The last meeting came in Kingston, RI on January 23, 2008, which the Rams won 81-70. In that one, three Colonials reached double figures in scoring: Maureece Rice (17 points, four rebounds), Wynton Witherspoon (10 points, four rebounds), and Noel Wilmore (10 points). The Rams had four players reach double figures in scoring: Baron (17 points), Bitee (14 points, five rebounds, seven assists), Daniels (13 points), and 6-7 senior forward Joe Mbang (13 points, six rebounds). Rhode Island shot 10-22 (45.5%) from three-point land and forced 17 GW turnovers. The Colonials have won six of the last seven meetings in the series, including two-straight and three of the last four at the Smith Center. GW is 12-8 all-time against the Rams at the Smith Center.

While the Colonials have played well at home and this is a crucial game for the team in terms of reaching the A-10 Tournament, the pick here is for Rhode Island to come away with a hard-fought road win.

Paul Marmaro and Max Smith have the call for WRGW with Adam Rosenbloom handling production duties. You can listen to the broadcast here on tape delay following the conclusion of the women's game, which tips-off 30 minutes earlier. I will join Byron Kerr for the 3WT broadcast. You can listen here starting at 7.20 p.m.

Game notes: The Colonials control their own destiny in qualifying for the A-10 Tournament...GW is 34-4 in its last 38 home games...The Colonials are 7-3 at home...GW hasn't lost four home games in a season since going 7-4 at the Smith Center during the 2002-2003 campaign...GW is just 3-4 when scoring at least 70 points...The Colonials were 16-1 when scoring at least 70 points last season...Coach Karl Hobbs has used 12 different starting lineups through 22 games...GW used just five different starting lineups in 32 games last season...This season, the backcourt accounts for only 34% of GW's points...Last season, the backcourt accounted for 54% of the Colonials' scoring...GW has six losses by 20 or more points this season...Over the first six years of the Hobbs era, the Colonials only suffered 10 losses by that margin...Rhode Island is 4-5 since these teams' first meeting this season, while GW is 3-5...Rice is averaging 13.4 points per game in five career meetings with the Rams...Rice needs 24 points to pass Tom Glenn for 27th place in program history...Diggs needs seven points for 700 for his career...Diggs needs six blocks for 100 for his career...GW is 3-3 this month...The only other month where the team was at .500 or better was November (2-2)...The Colonials are 2-6 on Wednesdays, their worst day of the week, 1-10 when allowing 70 points or more, and 2-0 with the starting lineup of Diggs, Hollis, Rice, Johnny Lee, and Xavier Alexander...Those two wins have come in the squad's last two games, at St. Bonaventure and against Richmond...GW is 2-5 coming off of a win...The Colonials are yet to win three-straight this season...GW assistant Roland Houston was a standout at Rhode Island from 1978-1982...Rams assistant Kevin Clark was an assistant at GW from 1995 to 1998.

Starting lineups and other notes to follow from the Smith Center once we get closer to tip-off. Greg Shapiro will be live-blogging, so please check back later.

Update, 7.16 p.m. - Just 15 minutes away from tip and the Smith Center crowd is just beginning to file in. Only the first couple rows of the student section are filled but week day games have seen a late-arriving crowd all season. Starting line-ups and the tip to follow.

Update, 7.28 p.m. - GW has won two in a row in their buff uniforms and they will look to continue that success as they are sporting them again tonight. It will take more than buff unis to counteract the potent shooting of the Rams but that certainly is a start. The crowd showing is weak as we head to the National Anthem but I expect more to file in. Here are your starting line-ups:

Rhode Island
G - Parfait Bitee (6-2 senior from Yaounde, Cameroon)
G - Jimmy Baron (6-3 junior from East Greenwich, RI)
F - Delroy James (6-7 sophomore from Brooklyn, NY)
F - Will Daniels (6-8 senior from Poughkeepsie, NY)
F - Kahiem Seawright (6-8 junior from Uniondale, NY)

GW
G - Johnny Lee (5-8 sophomore from Nashville, TN)
G - Maureece Rice (6-1 senior from Philadelphia, PA)
F - Xavier Alexander (6-6 freshman from Forest Park, OK)
F - Damian Hollis (6-8 sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
F - Rob Diggs (6-8 junior from Brandywine, MD)

Update, 7.42 p.m. - Sloppy play to start this one. Both teams have opened in a man-to-man defense. GW has done a better job finding open shots. Damian Hollis has been the only source of offense for GW early in this one. He hit the first basket of the game, a three-pointer at the top of the key. The Rams have struggled to connect on the few open shots they have seen. GW leads 3-0 at the first media timeout.

Update, 7.48 p.m. - Here comes the offense. Scores on five of the first six possessions for each team after the time out. Interesting to see a different game plan from GW as nine of their first 11 points have come from 3-point baskets. Three different Rams have scored in this one as GW leads 13-9 heading at the 11:56 mark.

Update, 7.55 p.m. - A battle is developing inside between Rob Diggs and Kahiem Seawright. The Rams have been able to use a man-to-man defense by assigning Seawright the responsibility of Diggs inside. Diggs is scoreless with 2 fouls. He has now checked out of the game. At the 10-minute mark, Hollis has reached double figures with 10 points. He leads all scorers.

Update, 8.01 p.m. - Quick passing has allowed GW to go on a mini 10-4 run over the last 3:30. The Colonials have freed up players on the baseline on several occasions through back screens to get easy lay-ups from Alexander, Hollis, and even Johnny Lee. 23-15 GW with 7:46 remaining.

Update, 8.08 p.m. - A technical foul call on Karl Hobbs has shifted the momentum in this one. Up 25-15, Hobbs got a technical foul call for being outside of the coaching box and Rhode Island has gone on a 6-0 run. 25-21 GW.

Update, 8.12 p.m. - Though the trap has freed up some shooters for Rhode Island, GW has maintained this pressure throughout the majority of the half. It has forced six Ram turnovers, including one that transitioned into a fast-break dunk from Wynton Witherspoon.

Update, 8.16 p.m. - GW has taken the momentum right back with an 8-0 run starting with that Spoon dunk. GW leads 33-21 with 3:31 remaining.

Update, 8.20 p.m. - GW is feeling it from beyond the arc. Noel Wilmore connects on his fourth three-pointer in as many attempts. Even Cheyenne Moore is getting into the act. You won't believe it! As I have been typing Noel connected on his fifth straight three. GW has made 6 straight 3-pointers. I don't know if it's the buff uniforms. I don't know if it's Noel Wilmore. I don't know if it's Chipotle going on GWORLD. I don't know what's going on. But GW is going into the locker rooms with a 49-25 lead over Rhode Island following a 24-4 run.

Update, 8.36 p.m. - Rhode Island coach, Jim Baron, gave his team quite a pep talk at half time. In fact, the Rams were on the court as early as they were allowed to shoot around. The Rams start the second half with the ball and start with a three-pointer from Will Daniels. GW is able to answer right back with two 3's of their own from Johnny Lee and Damian Hollis.

Update, 8.44 p.m. - The Rams connect on a four-point possession, getting the front end on a pair at the line from Jimmy Baron and then getting a 3 from Will Daniels from the corner. Good defense on the other end holds off GW and Daniels hits another 3 to give Rhode Island a 7-0 run.

Update, 8.49 p.m. - After a quick timeout from Karl Hobbs following the Rams' run, GW comes out firing with two unanswered 3's from Wilmore and Hollis. Wilmore's 18 ties a career high and Hollis's 19 is a career high.

Update, 9.17 p.m. - I would like to apologize for the 30-minute delay on updates. The blog shut down for maintenance. Well during this span, the Rams have mounted quite a comeback to make things interesting down the stretch. Rhode Island has outscored GW 33-26 in the second half. GW leads it 75-58 with 3:25 remaining.

Update, 9.21 p.m. - The story throughout the second half has been the foul situation. Rhode Island was able to bring more pressure in the second half but holding back as they only had one team foul in the first 10 minutes. GW has seen the opposite story. Diggs and Alexander both got their fourth fouls with 8 minutes to play and have played tentatively as a result, allowing the Rams to climb back. Time is not on Rhode Island's side as GW now leads it 79-64 with 1:45 to play. Head coach Jim Baron will call off the dogs and GW will run the shot clock down. A Wilmore 3 will seal the deal as GW will win their third straight, their fourth of five, and will keep themselves in the hunt for the right to get back to Atlantic City for the A10 tournament.

Update, 9.31 p.m. - And the final, GW wins it 85-68. An important win at home to win their third straight to head back on the road where they will face Xavier and Charlotte before coming back for senior day against UMASS. We'll be back on Saturday when both squads are in action. As always, thanks for stopping by.